Pitt’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program has a new hybrid option. It’s changing online learning.

When Navy veteran Gene Makovsky was exploring potential Doctor of Physical Therapy programs, he already knew online classes would work best for his learning style. Due to his frequent deployments, virtual schooling was often his only education option while on active duty. Now, he’s a Pitt graduate student earning a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree via hybrid learning in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (SHRS).  

“We created the hybrid Doctor of Physical Therapy option to provide an opportunity for individualized learning for students and to increase the diversity of our student population by serving more areas,” said Kim Nixon-Cave (SHRS ’81), professor and director of the program. “Our students have the opportunity to participate in the nation’s No. 1 physical therapy program without having to move to Pittsburgh — this is especially valuable to our students juggling parenthood and their education,” she added. 

Though he took classes online out of necessity while serving in the military, Makovsky still prefers remote learning to face-to-face classroom experiences. When completing his courses from home, Makovsky takes a few different approaches to learning and goes at his own pace.

“I like the variety of resources I can use. I watch videos, I look up terms and I can follow the asynchronous materials, but in a classroom, it’s just me and the professor,” he said.

Regardless of how students prefer to learn, professors in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program use various methods to keep them tuned in during synchronous sessions — from adapting the day’s lesson into a “Who Wants to be a Millionaire”-type competition among students to replacing the lyrics of a popular song with physical therapy terms. 

Makovsky said breakout rooms during online class time help keep students on their toes.

“Being separated into smaller groups forces us to speak out; it keeps us engaged. When you are one of 10 students versus one of 90 students, you must step up,” he said.

One technique Reivian Berrios Barillas, assistant professor in the Department of Physical Therapy, employs to keep her anatomy courses engrossing is having students demonstrate the concepts they learn on camera for the rest of the class. 

“I’m intentional about active learning with my students, which is different from how I was taught in physical therapy school. Back then, we were expected to take notes during lectures with minimal participation,” she said.

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Another advantage for students in the program is the opportunities inherent in taking classes with students and professors from all over the country. Students build a nationwide network of fellow practitioners and become familiar with different states’ physical therapy-associated licensing boards and laws.

“Students are open to new possibilities when meeting with their peers that maybe they never thought about practicing in Arizona or California, but they are exposed to the possibility of working in another area,” said Berrios Barillas.

How hybrid works

The hybrid education format also appeals to professionals looking to change careers. In the thick of the COVID-19 lockdown, Shik Namgung took stock of his life and decided he wanted a job with new challenges and new people, rather than forever crunching numbers as an accountant.

For Namgung, the flexibility of the Pitt program eased his transition into graduate school — in his first semester, he reduced his hours at his accounting job to part time and remained living in New Jersey.

The pandemic may have inspired an influx of online learning startups, but leadership in SHRS was well ahead of the curve: The school had begun working on launching a mixed online/in-person program in 2018.

To supplement online learning, students reinforce the skills they learn remotely through in-person immersion sessions at Pitt twice each term the first five terms of the program and in two 15-week off-site clinical educational experiences in their final two terms of the program.

Hybrid students complete clinical within 60 miles of their hometown with one of SHRS’ 600 clinical partners nationwide. After students complete their coursework, they conclude the program by undergoing 30 additional weeks of clinical education.

“With the hybrid option, students who would not otherwise consider Pitt due to geographical constraints can enroll,” Nixon-Cave said. “And regardless of where our hybrid students live, they receive Pitt’s in-state tuition rate.”

“Some rural areas and small towns are health care deserts, and we aim to recruit from these areas and encourage students to complete their clinical hours in the communities where they live,” she added.

About 60% of rural communities are designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas by the Bureau of Health Workforce of the Health Resources and Services Administration in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Yet the demand for physical therapists is growing; according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the need for this type of care is projected to grow 17% from 2021 to 2031 due in part to the nation’s aging baby boomer generation.

In addition, since its inception, the Doctor of Physical Therapy program has increased geographical and racial representation in its incoming classes. Of the most recent cohort starting in fall 2023, 39% of students identify as multiracial, Black, Asian or Hispanic, and 24% live in rural or medically underserved regions. 

Proving its worth

Hybrid learning isn’t for everyone — to excel in a hybrid learning environment, students have to be organized, self-directed and independent learners, said Nixon-Cave.

While there’s a difference in the format of how the curriculum is delivered, students enrolled in the hybrid program complete the same coursework as their peers in Pitt’s residential physical therapy program, she added.

“Still, there are students and physical therapists who question whether the hybrid format is equal to the residential program and if it's a sound way to educate students,” Nixon-Cave said.

Christine Oguledo, a student in the hybrid program, was aware of those preconceived notions when she started her first clinical rotation at Nova Care in New Jersey and chose not to mention her status as a hybrid student to her clinical instructor until her last day on site.

“I wanted to see if she would notice if I was lacking anything or if there was a difference in how I performed than other students,” she said.

Oguledo said her clinical instructor’s mind was changed about the proficiency of hybrid education when she heard how the Pitt graduate student was earning her doctorate. 

“She was so impressed by my skills that she thought I was completing my third or fourth clinical rotation rather than my first,” said Oguledo.

Photography by Tom Altany